Here's an idea - Instead of stars just color people's username's to reflect their status as an Admin, Mod, Vendor, Non-Profit, Kiloposter, etc. It would have the same effect, but without a 'special star'...

I'm with the move for colorized usernames. The colors chosen is fine. Mods, Admins are definitely good to have stand out that way. Many other forums do this. Colored text will look more classy than star icons. Feel free to colorize my username black ;p

Black usernames may need a 1 pixel white outline around the characters so they become visible in the Nostalgia theme.

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Reaper "frelled" me... Twice... Did he "frell" you too?... *brohug*I'm camping for a week, and moving twice in a month. I'll get back to you when I can (If I don't then just send me another PM).R.I.P.ster

I do not think this is a big problem, not just because it is a common thing to have on forums, but because we had the post count next to the avatar already. Even without the stars, the post count always had more or less the same function and implications.

I understand it can create a sense of elitism and negative incentives (for posting a lot), but these things were already in place with the post count. One thing I always liked (though plenty or reasons not to like it I guess) is a "rep" system. Simply because instead of creating an incentive to post a lot, you create an incentive to post something helpful. Also, if you are going to distinguish member of the forum, I guess you might as well do so based on how helpful they are to the people around them.

That said, to me it is no big deal. Most forums have it, can not say it ever bothered me.

A few forum have "rankings" - like a label applied when you reach a certain number of posts. One forum I am a member of changed rankings for pirate day, with newbies being "bilge rats" all the way up to "captain" or something like that.

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"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

Here is why we need the stars in addition to titles for vendors, mods and admins: the vendor forums. When a vendor is posting in his or her own forum the site changes the member title to Moderator. So in the Techkeys.us vendor forum, 13oilermaker is listed as a Moderator -- because he is the moderator of that forum.

But -- and this is the important part -- he does not suddenly get a PURPLE star. His star stays GREEN, indicating he is still a vendor.

So titles may change with context, but GREEN STAR MEANS VENDOR EVERYWHERE.

And purple stars mean we are here to help!

- Ron | samwisekoi

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I like keyboards and case modding. Everything about a computer should be silent -- except the KEYBOARD!

Reaper "frelled" me... Twice... Did he "frell" you too?... *brohug*I'm camping for a week, and moving twice in a month. I'll get back to you when I can (If I don't then just send me another PM).R.I.P.ster

A few forum have "rankings" - like a label applied when you reach a certain number of posts. One forum I am a member of changed rankings for pirate day, with newbies being "bilge rats" all the way up to "captain" or something like that.

Years ago I set up a forum like that; it was a fandom forum so there were relevant rankings from the characters. Anything we could use as a ranking here would be controversial. Consider 40%->60%->75%->80%->104->Terminal, for example-- people would say "But I'm all about the 80% layout!"

Reaper "frelled" me... Twice... Did he "frell" you too?... *brohug*I'm camping for a week, and moving twice in a month. I'll get back to you when I can (If I don't then just send me another PM).R.I.P.ster

"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

Reaper "frelled" me... Twice... Did he "frell" you too?... *brohug*I'm camping for a week, and moving twice in a month. I'll get back to you when I can (If I don't then just send me another PM).R.I.P.ster